THE NEW YORKER version of the quantum theory, he wrote a long essay-published in 1961, just after his death, in a book entitled "Meine Weltansicht" ("My World View")-that reflected his deep inter- est in Eastern religion, and particularly Vedanta. Since it has become fashion- able in some circles to find parallels between quantum theory and Eastern religious thought, it is worth point- ing out that Schrödinger, who did as much as anyone to create the theory, and whose world view became more and more Vedantic, found none. Before describing what Schrödinger did in 1926, I must make a divagation into his vie sentimentale. I use the French locution because I think it ren- ders the flavor in Schrödinger's case better than "sex life" or "love life"- although, God knows, Schrödinger had a surfeit of both. From the time he discovered women, in his teens, until almost his last days, he was obsessed by them. We know more about this than is arguably necessary, because Schrö- dinger took little or no pains to hide anything, leaving a paper trail of love poems, letters, and journal entries. (Among other things, in his Ephemer- idae he recorded the names of his loves with a code to indicate the various outcomes.) Since this is the first full- scale biography of Schrödinger, Pro- fessor Moore is obliged to tackle the wash from Schrödinger's love boat, broadside. He bears up manfully, oc- casionallyretreating to Freudian expla- nations involving the cosseting by aunts, and citing the amours of a number of writers and artists past and present by way of rationalization. Schrödinger met his future wife of forty-one years, Annemarie Bertel, in the summer of 1913, in the mountain community of Seeham, near Salzburg. He was studying atmospheric electric- ity at a lakeside observation station, and " Ann y" was there to look after the children of one of his colleagues. She was sixteen, dressed in a dirndl, and wore her hair in pigtails. Schrödinger was twenty-six and was recovering from the breakup of a love affair. He was only mildly interested in Anny, but she fell in love with him. During the war, she was the only one of Schrö- dinger's female friends to visit him at the front. They were married in the spring of 1920. Moore has a curious 145 description of the bride: "She was con- siderate and kind-hearted, with an out- going personality... not extremely feminine, a bit of a tom-boy as a girl, and becoming distinctly mannish in appearance as she grew older." How- ever, there is no reason to believe that the marriage was not a romantic one, at least for the first year. Thereafter, it is best described by a verse of Hilaire Belloc's: The Husbands and the Wives Of this select society Lead independent lives Of infinite variety In 1921, the Schrödingers moved to Zurich, where Schrödinger had taken a position as professor of theoretical physics at the university, and by that time the conjugal side of their marriage had apparently ended. Schrödinger had various liaisons, and Anny began a long-standing affair with his dis- tinguished mathematical colleague Hermann Weyl. Why this bizarre marriage, which became even more peculiar as it went on, endured for forty-one years is one of those mysteries of the human heart. Of the genesis of wave mechanics What does it take to be the world's best aerobic exerciser? It takes a total-body exerciser. A machine capable of exercising all the major muscle groups in your body, not simply your legs like treadmills exercise bikes and stairclimbers. It takes a cardiovascular exerciser. A machine that utilizes enough < muscle mass to readily exercise your heart, not simply specific muscle groups like weight machines. It takes a weight-bearing exerciser. A machine that utilizes the standing position to exercise the joints and long bones of the skeleton, not simply a few muscle groups like sit-down exercisers. It takes a safe exerciser. A machine that can't damage your knees like stairclimbers, or your back like rowers, or throw you off like treadmills. It takes a stimulating exerciser. A machine that's exciting and recreational to use. Not monotonous and repetitive like so many other machines on the market It takes a NordicTrack: Stand-up Position Independently Adjustable Lower-Body Exerciser Non-Jarring Motion Smooth, Quiet Operation Adjustable Elevation Patented Flywheel N ord. c I !: ll! t . r, . ' y. < ",'" r,.." , \. : 'h . ;\ oc,v,,,,,. t ,./ \ ,- 7,1 f " ! 1 I \ I \ '\ \. ">. ' \, ":;::. , " , ' .' .- -- lit , ....:<' -- % .y.. oY> - .... . Fitness doesn't get any better than this. . .. "- / r" Independently Adjustable Upper-Body Exerciser Electronic Feedback Setld for FREE VIDEO & Brochure! Call Toll Free in the u.s. and Canada 1-800-328-5888 10 Please send me a free brochure o Also a free video tape 0 VHS 0 BETA I Name I Street City State _ Zip I Phone ( ) I 141C Jonathan Blvd. N.. Chaska MN 5531 mT I 1265 _ _ _ comp